Psalms 91

The Church- God’s Family

I don’t always enjoy going to church. (Oops, did I say that out loud!) Oh, don’t pretend to piously judge me, you know there have been days that you would have rather slept in or stayed home. Those Sunday’s when you don’t enjoy the music and can barely keep your eyes open during the sermon. (Don’t try to hide it, I’ve seen you snoozing in your seat in front of me.) And for those of us who serve in ministry, haven’t you experienced days when you don’t want to lead worship or preach the sermon. For whatever reason you may have stayed up too late the night before and you could barely pull yourself out of bed or maybe you are going through a difficult time or perhaps your are just plain distracted. (Suffering from Fibromyalgia, I often find myself restless with pain, which sometimes makes paying attention nearly impossible.) At any rate, there we sit, going through the motions outwardly, but inside daydreaming of being somewhere else or doing something else. It makes me wonder, “Do you think that God ever intended His church to feel that way?”
On the other hand, there are those church services where it seems all that glitters is gold. Where the worship is more like something off a music video and the sermon delivered from a Talk Show host. And as exciting as it is, I wonder, “Do you think that God ever intended His church to be that way?”
God’s church is not a building nor a denomination, but rather His family. Like most families, God’s family is comprised of people with different likes, tastes and preferences. And yet His family is made up of people from all continents, with different skin color, speaking different languages, and worshiping in different ways.
Because we are unique, we hold different beliefs and have different experiences. We may not agree on everything, but we are expected to put aside our differences to live peacefully with one another. Just as our earthly families are important to us, God’s family is important to Him and spending time together is one of those essential elements which He longs for us to do. In Hebrews 10:25, we are instructed not to stop fellowshipping together.
The essential element that binds us together is more than simply enjoying the same things, our belief in the one true God, Jesus Christ is the key that gains entrance into God’s family. John 3:16 states,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His son, that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life.”With this in mind I ask, “Is fellowshipping together too much to ask from a God who willingly gave His son so that we could gain eternal adoption into His family?”
If you are struggling with the value of attending church here are a few interesting articles, which might challenging your thinking and rekindle your enthusiasm for worshiping with God’s people.

KDhttp://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-benefits-of-corporate-worship
“Worshiping Jesus together may be the single most important thing we do. It plays an indispensable role in rekindling our spiritual fire, and keeping it burning. Corporate worship brings together God’s word, prayer, and fellowship, and so makes for the greatest means of God’s ongoing grace in the Christian life.” David Mathishttp://www.desiringgod.org/articles/worship-where-the-wild-things-are
“What if God wants these unwanted distractions to show us more of himself and more about what it means to love his children than we could see alone at home with our Bibles?” Marshall Segalhttp://www.desiringgod.org/articles/any-given-sunday
“No matter what kind of week you’ve had, God may be pleased to turn it all around on any given Sunday.” David Mathis
“In corporate worship, we taste together what we were made for. Together we sample the feast of the coming new heavens and new earth.” David Mathis